Introduction

The site is a large piece of central Ho Chi Minh City centering on the roundabout in front of the Ben Thanh Market in District 1. This section of the city has been a historic nexus of commerce and transportation, as well as light industry, working class housing and even (former) mansions of the rich.

It is an area where the dense fabric of old Saigon that supports the rich urban street life of most Vietnamese is being disrupted by increasing traffic and new development that can be corrosive to the existing culture. Key to the understanding of this project is an in depth understanding of Vietnamese street life.

The site is rich in functions, typologies, and cultures, but the changes in the city have turned the circle, the centrepiece of the area, into a dividing element. We will focus on understanding the many facets of a complex situation and designing solutions.

Site Location

The site is located in Le Cong Kieu Street, right in front of the Fine Arts Museum in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It was originaly an antique street. About 200m long, it is considered the oldest in Saigon and it seems unchanged with each passing day. It is packed solid with small shops cramming in colonial memorabilia, Buddha statues, old coins, art, furniture and more. All these antique shops do not have nameplates.

Today, the business of the street remains lackluster even in the afternoon. Demand for some products which used to sell like hot cakes one year ago has plummeted. The street has becoming more isolated and shop owners are suffering as the number of customers reduces over years.

Site Conditions

L e C o n g K i e u S t r e e t V i e w 1

L e C o n g K i e u S t r e e t V i e w 2

P r o p o s e d D e s i g n

Seeks to explore new strategies and criterias to reinvigorate a difficult, isolated part of Ho Chi Minh, reseaches are taken at three categories: The vietnamese culture, the new zoning plan, and also architecture tectonic. The existing structures juxtaposed with the new structure, mixing the new activities with the old ones at the same time creating new spatial and material experiences. Spatial moves were curated and woven throughout the street. Blending new architecture with existing built fabric, new networks and programmatic opportunities of gathering and meeting moments were established.

MethodologyIf ecologies evolve through diversification, cities mature through aggregation of talent and resources. The project is premised upon the aggregation of complementary arts and culture currently scattered throughout Ho Chi Minh City. Some of these cultures, for instance, the Don Ca Tai Tu (southern folk music) has been listed as UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage recently.

The master plan was developed from re-evaluation of the vision and site analysis . A series of design objectives are then developed to implement the vision. The master plan is designed to consider its surrounding context, both existing environment and the proposal set out in this project.

Design ObjectivesThe result from the site analysis and issues suggests a set of design objectives to achieve the main aims of this project: To revitalize the street. Often, satisfying one consideration will create new issues, and invariably, a balance has to be achieved, This is one of the reasons that design objectives have to be tested for several times.

​D.O. 01To produce a tourist spot with the introduction of Visitor Interpretive Center.

The VIC will act as a gathering point for tourists to collect information on attractions, activities and events, and get advice on travel in Ho Chi Minh City.

​D.O. 02To control the antique dealing by giving business licenses to the qualified antique sellers.

The growing scarcity of authentic local antiques and the proliferation of fake antiques have caused people to loss interests in visiting Le Cong Kieu. The office tower is proposed to control the antique dealing and its licensing.

​D.O. 03To comply with the New Zoning Plan

Le Cong Kieu Street is within fifth section which will be a center for office and commercial area. An office tower building is hence proposed to bring in new working communities into the street.

​​D.O. 04To introduce sensory richness and diversity in the street that promotes interactions and connections.

In Ho Chi Minh City, people use flexibility, mobility, and blurred boundaries to offset the pressure of having limited space. The planning of the street has hence taking this factor into consideration by allowing the expansion of vendor business and informal activities from shops, alleys and sidewalks to the street.

​D.O. 05To extend the existing flea market in Nguyễn Thái Bình and the introduce a new entrance to Le Cong Kieu Street.

The artist market is introduced as the extension of the flea market (locals call it "Today sale") along Nguyễn Thái Bình street. It redefines the existing antique street with new programmes and creates a new entrance into the street in order to bring in tourists from the flea market.

The camera workshop will be the temporary structure that serves as a platform for teaching and learning about the application of antique cameras. The knowledges will be introduced by the local photographers who operate their business in Le Cong Kieu.

Drawings and Renderings

A Visitor Informative Centre is proposed at the front of the street acting as a gateway for exploring the antique street and Ho chi Minh City. An office building is proposed as committed to the new zoning plan by authorities, to control and give license to limited people to sell antique thus ensure quality control of the street. The new tower aims to change the street typology and bring new flow of office communities to the site.

A performing art space is placed at the center of the street that directly showcased the UNESCO Vietnamese art and cultures among young listeners. It will act as a node for gathering and meeting. Voids are created between buildings as “breathing” moment along the street. They serve as green pockets and public interactive spaces where social relationship could be strengthen around this neighborhood.

LEGENDS:1. Camera Workshop2. Informal Activities Area3. Marque

A camera workshop is proposed to act as the continuation of the ancient camera shops can be found in this street. Temporary street arts installation will be displayed along the street.

Artist Market is proposed to draw people in by creating a new entry from the Nguyen Thai Binh street. It is acted as an expansion of the flea market operates there as to accommodate the over numbered artists.

S e c t i o n D r a w i n g o f P r o p o s e d D e s i g n

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.